Hosni Mubarak resigns: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hails 'a new Middle East'

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday claimed the uprising in Egypt
heralded a new Middle East without the "satanic" influence of the
West and that will doom Israel.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was allegedly told that Argentina is "no longer interested" in investigating the attacksPhoto: EPA

By Barney Henderson

4:54PM GMT 11 Feb 2011

Despite suppressing its own opposition movement, Mr Ahmadinejad drew parallels between the protests in Egypt and the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

"In spite of all the (West's) complicated and satanic designs ... a new Middle East is emerging without the Zionist regime and US interference, a place where the arrogant powers will have no place," he told a rally in Tehran's Azadi Square to make the anniversary of the Revolution.

His comments came before Hosni Mubarak's resignation.

Tens of thousands of Iranians chanted support for Egypt's protesters and burned effigies of Hosni Mubarak.

The embattled Egyptian president has not enjoyed good relation with Iran, who are highly critical of Egypt's close relationship with the US and its peace deal with Israel.

"It's your right to be free. It's your right to exercise your will and sovereignty," Mr Ahmadinejad told them.

White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor denounced Iran's "hypocrisy" for claiming to support Egypt's people protest while clamping down on its own opposition.

Iranian opposition groups have called for marches on Tuesday, but Hossein Hamedani, a senior commander of the feared Revolutionary Guard said any attempt to rally would be crushed. Opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi remains under house arrest for trying to organise a protest on Monday.

The BBC said signal for its Persian service was jammed from Thursday in an attempt to block its Egypt coverage.

In Jordan, 1,000 demonstrators called for Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, appointed just last week by King Abdullah II, to step down and anti-corruption marches continued across Iraq.

In the Gaza Strip, a Friday protest inspired by the Egypt demonstrations – and organised on Facebook – against Hamas rule in the Palestinian territory attracted virtually no supporters.

Authorities in Algeria have ringed the capital Algiers ahead of a planned pro-democracy march today. Public transport has reportedly been cancelled and large amounts of tear gas have been imported by police.